


A Solemn Night

by thefieryembers



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: 3rd season, Canon Universe, F/M, Female Hange Zoë, Hange Zoe rant, Im deep in Levihan trash, Levihan kissing, Levihan supporting one another, a filler fic before the recapture of Wall Maria, please let them live, that one scene where Levi listened to the trio
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2020-08-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:15:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25669558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thefieryembers/pseuds/thefieryembers
Summary: Levi listened to Hange's qualms about the possibility of her being the next Commander of the Scouts. What transpired next was definitely not on his plan.-Took place before the Wall Maria recapture
Relationships: Levi/Hange Zoë
Comments: 16
Kudos: 134





	A Solemn Night

**Author's Note:**

> Hi y'all! I just had to get this out of my drafts (and my head). I'm still so deep in this fandom and I'm very scared for August 7th (chapter 131's release!)
> 
> Enjoy!

“We can explore the outside world!”

“Yet another conversation only you two get.”

“It’s gotta be way bigger than inside the walls!”

“Okay, okay. I get it.”

The familiar voices of the trio droned on and on about the possibilities that await them. Levi found it to be such a childish dream. A dream conjured by fresh minds, by naivety and lack of experience. He had been through countless expeditions and operations as far as he could remember, but none of it was a memory to behold, none of it worth celebrating. The Survey Corps’ jovial mood tonight would soon be trampled by tomorrow’s harsh reality.

 _“And just when everyone was so happy about getting that piece of meat.”_ He thought somberly.

Pessimistic thoughts would usually invade his mind, but as Lance Corporal, he had a duty to uphold: to remain calm amidst any situation, to show valor and inspire his team. Amplified with his upbringing in the Underworld, this was also the reason why he always managed to keep his emotions in check. And now, hearing Mikasa, Armin and Eren discuss about a future life outside the Walls, he thought to himself, _Why?_

Why were these brats able to maintain such an optimistic and hopeful mindset when everyone knew there was always a thin line between success and failure? 

This might be the biggest and most important operation Levi was yet to experience in his five years being in Survey Corps. And as much as he wanted to incorporate what he just heard and maybe miraculously change his negative way of thinking, he just couldn’t. 

After all, experience was what differed between him and the trio. It was also his greatest teacher. It taught him not to hope too much of uncertain outcomes.

He took another swig of alcohol from his mug and the familiar taste of bitterness complemented his thoughts. After drinking till the last drop, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and got up. He needed to see Hange.

X

Three knocks was all it took for Levi to know that she wasn’t in her room. He retraced his steps and found himself standing in a remote area of a forest in Wall Sina. The sound of what he supposed was a riverbank nearby got his attention. He looked around and suddenly remembered this was the place Hange and Moblit delivered the successful news of the coup d'état a few days back. 

Levi vaguely remembered having a conversation with Hange after that, and her mentioning that this was probably her new favorite place (besides her laboratory, of course). He went for the direction of gentle sounds of the flowing river with the moonlight illuminating his way and there, he found her.

The first thing he noticed was her hunched back and her manly way of sitting down. One hand absent-mindedly twirling her brown locks while the other throwing a bunch of rocks to the water. She didn’t even notice Levi’s arrival.

“Has the meat gotten into your brain for you to be alone in here, Shitty-glasses?” he asked, interrupting her auto-pilot mode of harassing the pebbles at her side.

“Oh, there you are. You found me.” She responded. Levi may be overthinking things, but he detected a hint of _something_ in her voice. He walked over and sat down. 

Dropping down the insults, Levi asked a simple question. “What’s wrong?”

There was a noticeable drop of her shoulders, as if she was in constant tension this whole time. She sighed so loud, dropped the stone she was holding and put her hands at the side. For a while, Levi was greeted with that familiar silence, not a single word uttered. He waited. She tends to do this and he had grown accustomed over the years.

The sound of the crickets was all that accompanied the two Scouts and Levi found this temporary peace and quiet to be strangely therapeutic. Despite the corruption going on inside this Wall, he could not deny that this somewhat gave him a momentary respite.

“I’m just… I’m afraid, Levi.” Hange broke the silence.

Levi shifted his body, now slightly facing her. She was still looking down, very much interested on the green grass she was currently palming.

“Everyone is afraid, Hange.”

“Aren’t you?” she paused, “Ha, that was a foolish thing to ask. I’m sorry. I do not doubt your skills. It’s just… We’ve been through this many times and I’m pretty sure our success rate would be somewhat higher this time. We are prepared.”

Years of friendship unlocked a telepathic ability within him that he never knew existed. It worked this time. Gears in his head turned and told him that this was another of Hange’s occasional rants. When people misunderstood him, Hange was always the one to recapitulate and deliver the words he truly wanted to say all along. Few people were blessed with such a talent, and Levi was glad she was one of those.

Seconds of quietness went by and he wondered why she was so out-of-character after such a joyful and loud dinner with the other Scouts,

And then she started, “Maybe you already heard the news from Erwin, but I also wanna say it to you personally.” Hange looked up at him and clasped both her hands, anxiety evident on her face. “When he dies, I will be the next Commander of the Scouts.”

“Yeah. I know.” He regarded quietly.

She drew a deep breath. “I’m scared because I know a lot of the Scouts will die tomorrow, and that would not even signify our success. What if we’ll die in vain? What if in the middle of the battle, suddenly, some of my thunder spears won’t work?” she rambled frantically, gesturing her hands in comical ways which Levi would find funny if they weren’t practically knocking at death’s door. He looked at the glinted reflection of the moonlight in the water.

She continued. “I’m afraid because I don’t want Erwin to die. I don’t think I can handle the pressure of being the Commander. Under his leadership, we achieved so many things! Humanity took two, no… _three_ steps toward the truth. I’m sure I can’t live up to everyone’s expectations, Levi.” And she paused and laughed. A tired kind of laugh, the ones you usually hear when one is on the brink of defeat.

“What the hell am I even saying? I’m implying Erwin’s death as if I’m someone who can see the future already. I’m not even sure if I’ll get to live another day after tomorrow!” She then picked the pebble she discarded a while ago and violently threw it into the river. It created a harsh _splash_ , ripples evident on the once-quiet body of water. 

Levi was certainly not a man of promises. He did not know how to assure someone. _Hell_ , there was no way of even convincing themselves that everything would go by smoothly on Wall Maria tomorrow. Just as he had seen death and blood a thousand times, tomorrow won’t be any different. But a part of him empathized with everything Hange said. There was no guarantee that the faces of the people he ate with tonight will survive. Not even Erwin, no matter how much of a genius he was. 

Right then and there, he wanted to pull her in his arms and whisper to her that everything would be alright. That he was Humanity’s Strongest and he will protect them all, protect _her._ He restrained himself.

He did not want Hange to think that he was at loss for words, so he opted for his bluntness instead. “There’s no denying it that a lot of us will be gone in this world tomorrow. No one is ever certain of how things will go and life loves to torture us like that."

Images of his fallen friends, Isabel and Farlan suddenly flashed and he mentally cursed. It was a very bad memory indeed. 

He continued, "You’ll never know what would unfold until you see it with your very own eyes and it will leave your mouth gaping like a fucking idiot. We are, unfortunately, just a gambling show for some deity or _god_ to watch. Every Scout is living their life as if it's their last tonight because they're also as afraid as you are. Yes, we are prepared. Yes, a lot of things can go wrong but as long as you have me, Hange, I promise that I will exterminate every one of them.” 

Levi did not plan to add that last part on his speech,really, but was surprised it came out anyway. He meant to say that as a warrior making an important promise to another fallen soldier, but he thought for a split second and decided that it came out otherwise. It sounded very _personal_.

Truth be told, up until now, Levi did not think of his relationship with Hange that much. Blossoming relationships inside the Regiment were not discouraged but definitely not advised. He usually shrugged off the unusual stares Erwin would casually throw him whenever Hange’s name is involved. They were friends, that’s it. But he felt like there was something more, too. One could see and _feel_ that both of them have something as close to being an unlabeled couple.

Hange stared at him, in awe after his somewhat inspiring speech. He stared back nonchalantly. But then Hange started to laugh.

“Tch. Go ahead and laugh, you shithead. After making all that fuss, for a while I felt sorry. But now I regret even bothering to talk.” 

She still continued that boisterous laughter, a few tears building up on the corners of her eyes. Levi rolled his eyes and focused his vision on the water again.

“I’m just surprised. You’re usually not a man of inspirational speeches. I’m one hell of a liar if I say that didn’t catch me off-guard.”

And she did it again.

_“That damn smile.”_

In his peripheral, the corners of her mouth turned up slightly, her eyes softening. It seemed like all her worries a minute ago slowly vanished, replaced with renewed vigor. Through it all, he maintained an unconcerned façade despite hearing his own heartbeat hammer tremendously.

“Damn right I’m not. So you better put everything that I said in mind and get your shit together, Four-Eyes.” 

She chuckled lightly and asked, “Can I kiss you?”

It was all so sudden that Levi hoped his face didn’t give anything away because, _fuck,_ to say he was surprised would be an understatement. Million thoughts running in a millisecond, he racked his brain for the sole reason why Hange would make such a bizarre request.

“Sure.” He found himself answering blankly, “but why? Am I on your to-do-list of experimentations this time?”

“Just curious.” She answered cheekily, “plus it wouldn’t hurt, right? Just a quick one.”

They drew closer. Hange used her right arm to support her body weight as she leaned forward towards Levi. He faced her, angling his face ever so slightly as he readied himself for the contact.

At first, all he felt were dry chapped lips making contact with his own. The sensation was light, like a feather subtly landing on his skin. Years of being in the Underground and one could tell that Captain Levi, aside from hacking up titans, was _certainly_ an expert when it comes to these things. He had knowledge, yes, but the circumstances were different this time. This is Hange, his friend, for fuck’s sake.

Hange closed her eyes and they stayed that way for a few seconds. Her glasses kept sliding down so she always made an awkward move to push it back up.

Levi had the choice to break away and call it a night but something in him _bellowed_ , waiting to be released.

He then grabbed the back of Hange’s head, his deft fingers working its way on her messy brown hair. The sudden action earned him a slight gasp from her. She opened her eyes in surprise but he did not stop there. He deepened the kiss, initiating dominance by letting his tongue enter and roam her mouth. Hange shifted her position and put both her arms on Levi’s chest, silently begging for support.

She shut her eyes and tried to inhale, but then he intimately pulled her head slightly harder towards him. He cupped her face, his rough, calloused hands caressing her soft skin. The coolness of the night was in contrast with the heat from their bodies.

“Nghh”.

Hange moaned. It was such a foreign sound that it left them mutually startled. And, _fuck_ , Levi almost lost it but she softly tugged at his shirt, signaling her pressing need to catch for some air. So Levi pulled away, mentally slapping himself, wondering why the hell he did that.

Both of them panted. Hange wiped her mouth with the back of her hand while Levi fixed the creases on his shirt. Goddamnit, he wanted _more_.

After another deafening silence, mostly consisting of both them catching their labored breaths, Hange was the first to speak up.

“Well, I did tell you to do that, didn’t I?” she lightly chuckled. “But I did not expect _the_ Lance Corporal Levi to be such a good kisser.”

“Shut the fuck up, Glasses.” He mused, slightly embarrassed.

Hange hummed in response as a hand fell on top of his. She gave it a slight squeeze. The subtle gesture anchored both of them to the present, to the tranquility of the forest and the warmth of their hands. The likelihood of this night being their last was so high that Levi clutched her hand back and engraved this core memory at the back of his mind. They both looked up at the dark, grayish sky and let the sound of stillness fill between them.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope our favorite couple will live T_T. 
> 
> Thank you all for reading!


End file.
